But as a stats nerd, I can't help but think about the numbers sometimes.

So while I'll keep the actual number of downloads per episode to myself just because it's not really about that, here's the top 10 most downloaded episodes in the history of SSKTN. The date in brackets is the release date of the episode.

My Thoughts on Downloads

As you might be able to tell, the top 10 downloads are all from one show - Welcome to the Internet. It's not too surprising as with that show, the guest brings their own audience along with them which, more often than not, is quite a bit larger than my own meagre internet footprint.

With each guest, it's been interesting for me to watch traffic/downloads to see what happens. Some guests bring an initial wave of downloads due to the amount of people reading their blog, following them on Twitter, etc. Depending on where the guest posted about the interview affects traffic as well. Some guests linked to it on their Twitter account, which while they may have a large following the number of downloads doesn't compare to when a guest posts about it on their blog. From my unscientific observations, a reader of a blog is much more interested in the person behind the blog than someone who follows a Twitter account. Your mileage may vary.

For other guests, it's that the SSKTN interview with them appears among the top search results if you Google their name so the downloads average about the same each month. Or as a guest does something new that makes a bit of news, people start searching for that guest's name and eventually trickle down to my interview with them.

I've slowed down recently on the Welcome to the Intenet episodes simply because it takes a lot of time to schedule, prepare and conduct the interviews. I've also been doing local focused interviews on The YXE for people in and around Saskatoon, the city I live in.

Where to Next?

It's not about the numbers. But it is about the numbers if I want to do something on a sustainable (aka put food on my kid's table) and meaningful (aka be able to justify the time I put in to preparing) level.

It feels a bit like a deadline is looming for SSKTN - either level up or shut it down. It's got to either go beyond hobby status in order to continue producing as many shows as I'd like to be doing or just focus on a one or two as a fun side hobby.

I'm all ears if you have any suggestions, thoughts or questions. I'm optimistically pessimistic about the future of SSKTN and podcasting in general. On my good days, which is the norm, I have no trouble pushing ahead and keeping on going. On my few bad days I'm tempted to throw all the gear on Ebay and shut it down.